"So Many Opportunities Laid Out Before Me": College Students' Decisions to Join Army ROTC

• In Event: College Access, Counselors, and Military-Connected Students

Abstract

Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) provides participants with a unique experience during college and a career with the military following graduation. For scholarship recipients, ROTC also provides an affordable pathway through college, thereby making college more accessible. This study, informed by Perna’s (2006) conceptual model of college choice, identifies cadets’ motivations for joining ROTC, including familial influences, expected benefits, and perceptions of the military. The results can be used to inform understandings of the college choice process, as well as recruitment efforts.

Authors

• Casey E. George, University of Louisville

• Jessica Buckley, University of Maryland - College Park

• Ishwanzya D Rivers, University of Louisville

• Taylor Pratt, University of Louisville